Come occasionally or come every week. These eclectic and lively discussions about the week’s Torah portion consider the text through traditional and modern commentaries, as well as through the lenses of history, ethics, sociology and psychology. Insightful and frequently provocative, Torah study at Beth Israel will prompt you to engage with the text in new ways. Young and old, scholars and beginners are all welcome. Bagels and coffee provided.

The Art and Act of Prayer: Wow! Gimme. Thanks. Oops. These are essential prayers. In this interactive session, we’ll talk about the purpose and the power of prayer. What constitutes prayer? What’s the nature of prayer? Together we’ll explore two elements of our worship: what’s going on in prayer – in other words, the act of prayer itself – and the art of the way we pray and the impact on our intellectual and spiritual lives.

Alden Solovy spreads joy and excitement for prayer. A liturgist, poet, author and teacher, his writing was transformed by multiple tragedies, marked in 2009 by the sudden death of his wife from catastrophic brain injury. Alden’s teaching spans from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem to synagogues throughout North America. The Jerusalem Post called his writing “soulful, meticulously crafted.” He’s the author of two books from CCAR Press: the newly-released and This Grateful Heart: Psalms and Prayers for a New Day. In 2012, Alden made aliyah to Israel and lives in Jerusalem. He also writes for Ritualwell, RavBlog and the Times of Israel. Find his latest work at ToBendLight.com.

Come occasionally or come every week. These eclectic and lively discussions about the week’s Torah portion consider the text through traditional and modern commentaries, as well as through the lenses of history, ethics, sociology and psychology. Insightful and frequently provocative, Torah study at Beth Israel will prompt you to engage with the text in new ways. Young and old, scholars and beginners are all welcome. Bagels and coffee provided.

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